FTSE 250 movers: Ocado leads the risers, Aquarius falls after downgrade

1st Feb 2012 14:01

Groceries delivery firm Ocado soared into pole position, extending gains made yesterday when it reported that gross sales, which include revenue plus value added tax (VAT) and marketing vouchers, rose 16.6% in the 52 weeks to November 27th to £642.8m from £551.1m the year before. Investors are most likely encouraged by the company's belief its sales growth in 2011 outdid others in the sector, while top-line growth in 2012 should accelerate once its sorts out its capacity constraints.Next in line was office space provider Regus which rose on Tuesday news it has opened a business centre in Madagascar, bringing the number of countries in which it operates up to 95. Heading the other way was Aquarius Platinum which was the worst performer after Exane BNP Paribas downgraded the miner from neutral to underperform and cut its target price from 210p to 410p. The group revealed yesterday that output of platinum group metals (PGMs) attributable to Aquarius in the October to December quarter - the second quarter of the company's fiscal year - fell 4% from the preceding quarter to 105,629 ounces.Meanwhile, Home Retail was falling, just enough to land it in the bottom 10. US industry veteran John Walden has been given the tough task of turning around the fortunes of Home Retail-owned Argos, the struggling retail brand.Confirming news that was leaked to the newspapers on Tuesday night, Home Retail said Walden will take up his new role by the end of February. FTSE 250 - RisersOcado Group (OCDO) 95.30p +9.41%Regus (RGU) 98.80p +7.39%Michael Page International (MPI) 409.80p +5.32%Big Yellow Group (BYG) 293.60p +4.93%Talvivaara Mining Company (TALV) 327.90p +4.76%Bovis Homes Group (BVS) 465.10p +4.68%Allied Gold Mining (ALD) 138.80p +4.68%Unite Group (UTG) 186.30p +4.66%RPS Group (RPS) 218.00p +4.56%Rathbone Brothers (RAT) 1,197.00p +4.54%FTSE 250 - FallersAquarius Platinum Ltd. (AQP) 165.00p -3.23%Phoenix Group Holdings (DI) (PHNX) 575.00p -1.37%Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 709.50p -1.18%COLT Group SA (COLT) 91.10p -0.98%Hansteen Holdings (HSTN) 72.70p -0.95%Premier Oil (PMO) 407.70p -0.78%Misys (MSY) 321.00p -0.65%BH Macro Ltd. GBP Shares (BHMG) 2,026.00p -0.64%JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 711.00p -0.56%Home Retail Group (HOME) 106.80p -0.56%NR